Key To Survival

OUR VIEWS - ABOUT TOWN

The east Orange County man's heart sank when he walked outside to get his newspaper early one morning. His van sat in the driveway with its rear door wide open and its interior lights all burning.

The man and his wife had forgotten to close the vehicle the night before. They had been in too big a hurry to unload items they had borrowed to host a large dinner party.

The man grabbed his keys and rushed to the van. Inside, a briefcase with a checkbook and cellular phone were untouched. The van started with one turn of the key, unfazed by the drain of the lights on its battery.